BFP Statement on Police Killings 

The police killings of Michael Brown, Eric Garner, Tamir Rice, and Akai Gurley are the most recent examples of the long, brutal history of racial oppression in the US.  Our hearts go out to the families of these young black men, one of them only 12 years old.  We are horrified by the systemic racism of our “justice” system. The tremendous outpouring of protest throughout the country and even the world serves as public indictment of the system which does not even bring to trial the perpetrators of these crimes, modern-day lynchings.

           An increasingly militarized police force oppresses not only black but also Hispanic, white, Muslim, South Asian, and other communities. It is the domestic counterpart of our foreign policy in which whole countries are subjugated to violence. This systemic racism in our police and justice system is the mirror image of our illegal wars in the Middle East and elsewhere, where thousands of completely innocent civilians have been killed in the so-called "war on terror."

         Brooklyn For Peace is committed to eliminating war and the social and economic injustices which lead to war. We see the racist bias of our criminal justice system, alarming environmental destruction, the widening wealth gap, the gentrification of our city centers, the privatization of our public schools, and the decaying infrastructure of the country—as issues which are connected, and which must be urgently addressed. Black lives matter! All lives matter!  All families matter, and need the resources to thrive!  Please join us on Saturday, December 13th in a Day of Anger as Millions March in NYC.